1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a containment canister for capturing hazardous waste debris during modifications to gloveboxes, or other radiological or biochemical hoods (generally termed gloveboxes therein), that require drilling and welding operations. Examples of such modifications include penetrations for pipe, thermowells, etc. In particular, the present invention relates to an improved containment canister that eliminates the need for costly containment huts and additional man power while at the same time reducing the risk of radiation exposure or other biohazard exposure to workers during glovebox modifications. The present invention also provides an improved hole saw which enables a driller to remove metal shavings and replace the hole saw if there is tooth wear present on the hole saw prior to actually penetrating a glovebox during modifications.
2. THE PRIOR ART
The prior art requires the erection of a containment hut for performing glovebox modifications, such as making penetrations for piping and thermowells. Such a procedure of capturing hazardous debris during drilling in a glovebox operation requires several health protection and support personnel to provide coverage for the person performing the work as well as maintaining and cleaning up the work area. This is a very expensive and time consuming technique. Further, a dropped tool in a glove box--containment hut environment can be dangerous, as attempts to retrieve the dropped tool can result in punctures or tears in protective garments, thus exposing the worker to contamination. Additionally, unretrieved tools and uncontained metal shavings can puncture glovebox gloves used by operators who may not be aware of the hazards after the modifications have been completed.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide for a safer, less costly approach that eliminates the need for a containment hut and the extra manpower associated therewith.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,771 to Wehrmann et al. relates to a clean room tool chamber having a portable glovebox.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,158 to Devine relates to a drilling jig for holding drilling debris. The cylinder of this reference has a lid which is adhesively sealed to the cylinder.
Additionally, it would be desirable to have a containment canister which does not require a containment hut, can contain the metal shavings and drilling fragments during drilling and welding operations in glovebox modification procedures and in a radioactive or other biohazard environment, that reduces the risk of contamination, and be less costly and require less manpower than the prior art approaches.